Council obstructing Sustrans routes.

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Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
I was on NCN route 73 in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, yesterday. The first obstacle has been there on and off for several years now; more often it's there than it isn't - even during the summer. It probably serves some kind of purpose; possibly to stop high tides flooding the footpath, but surely that makes the path unsuitable to be part of the Sustrans NCN network? There is a road nearby so it shouldn't be a big problem to divert the cycle route. Here is obstacle # 1 .....
Trek%206500%20013_zps8lgzx0fy.jpg


At least the above obstacle is in an area with some street lighting, so during hours of darkness a cyclist unfamiliar with the area might stand a chance of avoiding it. Obstacle #2 concerns me a bit more, as it has just been put up recently and is in an area without any lighting:

Trek%206500%20017_zpsxtpj2jjj.jpg


It blends in nicely with the greyness in general of Saltcoats! This is a section of concrete pathway running alongside the main railway line. The surface has now broken up so badly in places that the council (??) have taken the cheap way out and simply put up a barrier with a "Road Closed" sign on it. The sign makes it reasonably visible approaching from the other side, but from this direction? (It is a dead end; from the south it is accessed from a cycle path which has no sign indicating any road closure ahead). I nearly missed it in the daylight, never mind darkness. The one strip of vertical (WTF!) hi-vis tape to the right isn't very helpful, really. If they had the tape, why not put it horizontally along the top beam of the gate at least?

I feel a letter of complaint to North Ayrshire Council coming on; and a letter to Sustrans to let them know too. How stupid can they get? :angry:
 

PeteXXX

Cake or ice cream? The choice is endless ...
Location
Hamtun
The top pic looks like flood defence boards. The second pic is just bad!! (the barrier, not the photo..)
It'll be interesting to see what sustrans and the Council say, if anything!
 

Fubar

Guru
The main cycle route between Edinburgh and the Forth Bridge has a wire fence across the path outside Dalmeny, forcing you to dismount and walk through mud and gravel - or if you are me fall off into it!
 

Bobby Mhor

Wasn't born to follow
Location
Behind You
Saltcoats prom second pic...?

Fished there in the 70s..

I recently spotted a new fence and some beech hedging having been planted at one of harbours in Greenock and blocking the access point (Victoria Harbour), bumped in to the Sustrans feller working on Route 75 and mentioned it, its in hand I was informed. My local council kids on it promotes cycling:rolleyes:, I spent an hour dodging potholes and broken glass locally on Friday.
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
The main cycle route between Edinburgh and the Forth Bridge has a wire fence across the path outside Dalmeny, forcing you to dismount and walk through mud and gravel - or if you are me fall off into it!
Slightly off thread but I found this comment from Sustrans illuminating. It is from a reply to a complaint about the state of a local route:

"....... Therefore we do not recommend a road bike for any of the National Cycle Network."
 

snorri

Legendary Member
. It probably serves some kind of purpose; possibly to stop high tides flooding the footpath,

. If they had the tape, why not put it horizontally along the top beam of the gate at least?
I feel a letter of complaint to North Ayrshire Council coming on; and a letter to Sustrans to let them know too. How stupid can they get? :angry:

If the barrier in the first pic is a flood defence measure then it should only be in place for the few days a year when high tides are predicted , it doesn't need to be there all the time. Perhaps you could play the safety card by complaining about the vertical channel iron (with dangerously sharp edges!) on the right foreground of the pic which looks as if it might be part of a storage system for the timbers from the barrier when not required for flood protection.
Agreed on the galvanised gate barrier, it could be more conspicuous.
That's one for the Cooncil to deal with, copy to Sustrans for their information.
 
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OP
Brandane

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
That's one for the Cooncil to deal with, copy to Sustrans for their information.
I have written to Sustrans to bring it to their attention.
Reporting the matter to the local council is, as you might expect, not as simple as it should be :rolleyes:.
You must be a resident of the council area, and register on their website. I have done this. They then tell you that they are unable to confirm your status at present, and that you will receive an e-mail confirming your eligibility to make a report within the next 3 days!
I could make a basic report at the moment without registering, but I suspect that one would go straight into the delete file, so I am hanging on to make a full report in the hope that something might actually get done.
 

Fubar

Guru
Is that still there :ohmy: I've not been the NCN route for years because quite frankly its sh1te :ohmy::ohmy:

I don't normally use it but did that time to try out the new cycle path - 100yds of air followed by miles of cr@p again...
 

snorri

Legendary Member
You must be a resident of the council area, and register on their website.. They then tell you that they are unable to confirm your status at present, and that you will receive an e-mail confirming your eligibility to make a report within the next 3 days!
Some of us might think that is nothing more than a cunning scheme to discourage customer complaints, but surely not?:rolleyes::whistle:
 

sidevalve

Über Member
Agreed about the first one prob a flood defence but the second seems more like a barrier to vehicles than cycles - is it really so much trouble to hop off and walk around on the footpath ? As for not being able to see it at night, sorry but the old story trumpeted at car drivers [on this very forum] works for cyclists too --- Be able to stop in the distance you can SEE to be clear. If you can't see at night you need better lights or to ride slower.
 
OP
OP
Brandane

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
Agreed about the first one prob a flood defence but the second seems more like a barrier to vehicles than cycles - is it really so much trouble to hop off and walk around on the footpath ? As for not being able to see it at night, sorry but the old story trumpeted at car drivers [on this very forum] works for cyclists too --- Be able to stop in the distance you can SEE to be clear. If you can't see at night you need better lights or to ride slower.
You won't have a problem with yoofs having a laugh by tying a rope between two trees across a cycle path then?
 
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